Typography

Fonts

Sans-serif fonts are considered more legible than serif fonts for online reading. Examples of sans-serif fonts include Arial and Verdana. Decorative, narrow, and whimsical fonts are best avoided.

Font Size

Very small text decreases readability. Also, small text requires greater contrast between the text color and background color.

Underlined Text

Avoid underlining text as it can be confused with hyperlinks. Instead, use an alternate styling such as bold or italics.

Text Alignment

Left aligned text is the default in School Loop's content management system and is recommended for its readability. Justified text varies the spacing between words, which can be difficult to read for those with visual or cognitive impairments.

All Capitals

Avoid using all capitals. All caps can difficult to read for some users and can be read incorrectly by screen readers.

Line Length

Avoid using a lot of text in very wide and narrow columns. Readability is reduced if the user has to track across the full width of the page or continuously scan down the page.

Animated Text

Blinking or moving text can distract some users and should be avoided. This includes the use of marquees or any type of animated text. If used, accessibility guidelines require that users have the ability to pause or stop the animation. Despite these guidelines, the overwhelming consensus is that blinking and moving text negatively impact people with attention deficits or cognitive disabilities and that controls to pause or stop moving text can be difficult for those with limited fine motor abilities. Additionally, most web designers find these effects to be annoying.